EverythingOShauN Wants Success on His Own Terms, and in His Home Country, on 'Everything Over Everything Else'

Regardless of where your musical tastes lie, you're likely to find an artist to satisfy your needs in the booming local Toronto scene. Thanks to a blinding spotlight aimed at the region — due in part to the meteoric rise of Drake and artists like Tory Lanez — many artists with the funds to spare are flooding through the open gate. For EverythingOShauN though, going it alone has allowed for him to build his own sound, free of an overarching drive for U.S. success.

However, that approach never comes without obstacles.

"Resources and outlets are always a challenge, being a Canadian artist," he tells Exclaim! "More specifically, being a hip-hop and R&B artist in this country is challenging. Radio has always been an issue and overall, [there] just isn't enough support for the number of dope artists from here," he adds. "I have experience first-hand."

While a relatively low barrier to entry, and a social media climate that glorifies the material — and often destructive — spoils of perceived success in the game, the Brampton-based singer/MC explains that his desire to create was innate. "I initially got into music via piano when I was a kid, just being around so much music in the house because of my pops," he says. "We were growing up and just wanting to contribute to something powerful and universal. Music became that for me"

Now three projects in (his latest LP, Everything Over Everything Else, dropped November 2), he's on a slow build that is quickly approaching a climax. "In this scene, I see myself as someone bringing a clash, always trying to say something important, but in a fun, vibe, smooth clever way," he says of the delicate balance his music achieves. "As more projects release, the versatility I can bring to the table will be clear.

"I feel like I can fit quite comfortably with all the greats from our city who are creating — or have crafted — great music," he continues.

With heaps of visual content and a potential tour in the works, EverythingOShauN is revelling in the fact that after years of grind, listeners are getting to experience his grand vision, and are (hopefully) being affected by it.

"I want listeners to feel like they can relate to me on the issues that I address; my thoughts, my ideas, my fears, my interests, whatever. I want people to feel good after they hear my music. At the end of the day, I am an artist that will always continue progress, elevate and, of course, never stop."